These are the real meat of your personalized mentoring plan. The goals a mentee sets will determine the arc of the mentorship and the various roles a mentor will be required to play. These goals should be specific. Instead of “I want to get a job,” the mentee should be explicit about the job they want, what might be holding them back, and what they think they’ll need to do to secure the right position.
Including specific action items focuses the goal, providing a defined roadmap for success. A goal that’s not paired with actionable steps is too nebulous and will be challenging to achieve. As an example, everyone wants to make more money or advance in their career, but without a specific action plan for getting there, it’s just a hope or a dream.
The goals that mentor-mentees decide on provide the structure for the relationship. Without them, there’s no focus, and without focus, it’s difficult to make progress.